That's the dream alright. Pretty nice, considering all the other dreams...
[Nothing was on fire or dying or trying to drown him, that's pretty rad as far as Elliot's concerned.
Elliot will sneeze from all the dust flying around, squeezing his eyes shut and rubbing his nose]
I don't think he was from earlier...he seemed to know why I was reacting the way I was. [In other words, sobbing and clinging.] So are you saying it is possible?
[ eren can imagine the reaction, but elliot . . . is looking for fonfirmation that he could waver by a few others counting their tales of no return. he’s unsure, eren can feel it, mostly from the shudder of losing a friend then somehow reversing it.
it isn’t reversed. they’ll still go back through their mirrors if they have somewhere to return to, forget all about this. perhaps the dead stayed behind, though eren couldn’t risk that. ]
Well, [ which is recent, and still he’s deadset in home when he technically has no home to return to. technically. ] I’m here.
[ it wasn’t unheard of, eren can name a few dead acquaintances, but if elliot needed proof, he has one. right in front of him, that speaks the truth and doesn’t seem too phased about being dead, or implying such. ]
[ i have not seen coconut head elliot in a very long time and i’m happy to be graced with his image once more. yes. he didn’t stutter. though he’ll let elliot calm down before pulling that card out again, only watching him as he lathers his belly with dust.
it might feel morbid, but he’s long ago decided on this. he isn’t sad, upset, everything is far from lost. it’s where he needs to be, where he stopped, and where he’ll pick back up once he, hopefully, warps into the paths dimension. ]
[ he’s going to have to explain canon bullshit to you, isn’t he. don’t tell him he didn’t warn you!! eren sighs for a minute, looking down and plenty of hair falling with it. seeing enough of a chance in the dirt scattered around him, eren presses his finger to the ground and drags his claw about until various parallel lines connect with one another, at a single point. almost like a tree with branches.
speaking of points, he’ll just get right to it. a rough generalization before he sits here all month trying to explain what an eldian is and why these even exist. ]
Back home, all of us are connected through invisible channels— they’re called paths. Memories, wills, powers, they all travel back and forth through them to people. It transcends space and time.
[ he circles that one crossing point that connects all lines. ]
They can only come together at a point called The Coordinate, with power of The Founder to change anything, [ a hand to his chest, then. ] that’s with me.
The only way I’d know if I ended up there is if I go back.
I wasn’t planning on it, [ dying, ] but I was ready for it.
[ not in the sense that he was ready to die and seeking it out— but he was ready to give his life and all if it meant success. anything less than that met wrath. ]
. . . Achieve freedom. [ mostly because that’s still sort of [redacted], but eren’s feelings make up for the small lack of context. it’s care. it’s hope. it’s love for live and for others and for himself. ] Everyone who’s born has the right to live free. If there’re things that take that away, [ eren’s tone is continuous, and matter of fact. ] they don’t matter.
[ he comes to a small realization that makes . . . some sort of smile come. ]
If I got there in time— I’m beyond dead. [ he’s not dead here. he’s very much alive. although it’s a massive game of chance waiting to happen. he doesn’t control who the mirrors give and take, but to get there, to see that view.
he’ll transcend time, space, everything that keeps him locked and in constant cycling. he’ll be beyond life. he’ll be in some crazy ass interstellar mind raven dimension that can be anywhere, at any time. ]
He has. A lot of concerns. Through the bond, it's clear to see he's doubting.]
...How's that free?
[The more Elliot thinks about what it might mean, the less free it sounds]
Will you be able to eat the foods you want? Stay up and watch the sunrise? Pursue your interests? Spend time with your loved ones? Fall in love? Travel to new places? Share what's on your mind?
Will you get to do any of that? Because that's freedom.
[ mm, yes. sorry, my sweet coconut. he knows what he saw, [redacted]. which is going to be hilarious if it’s that reincarnation au and he gets to live all of the above. so, no go. for canon safety sake as well as for the dragon. eren is still ever steadfast, despite the doubt that pools on the other end.
it’s monstrous and unbreakable. ]
Tell me about your friend, [ he shifts his weight, ] instead of arguing something we can’t.
[ he’s asking nicely, with no intention of discussing what freedom is to him and what it’s like in paths. there’s no ire in his voice nor is there ill feeling. don’t take this the wrong way, eren thinks, or else that’s where it’ll go.
[Attack on Titan will you really go the route of FFXIII-3 will you.
Elliot feels the brush-off. Eren's not listening. Which is worrying all on its own. Like there wasn't any reaching him. There was just a wall. A super questionable wall.
But it's not like he can undo what Eren did in his world, so there's a point there. It'll just end in a fight.
Yet to talk about Crow right after hearing that...]
I'm...not sure how much you'll like hearing about him. It really doesn't end well.
You said he died at war. [ there’s no way it has a happy ending, he knows. with a flowing hand, he gestures for elliot to continue, beginning to rub dust along his outstretched legs. one more won’t break him. he knew plenty who died at war, sasha being the most recent. or, maybe falco. he didn’t know his brother well, but he harbored sympathy for him.
hell, he saw a kid who was better than he could ever be. he wanted him to live long and prosper. marry his girl. have a family. how far would he be able to go now? ]
[Welp. Don't say he didn't warn you. He bites his lip]
...Yeah, he did. He... [He pauses, this isn't a story he's used to telling]
He actually started the war. I mean, it wasn't all him. The two major factions in Erebonia, the Noble Faction and the Reformists, have been at odds for years. But he had a grudge against a key member of the Reformists, Chancellor Osborne, after he had annexed his home country. So he became a terrorist and with the backing of the nobles, did a long and careful plan that led to him assassinating the Chancellor. It succeeded, and started the war.
He fought with the Noble Alliance, hoping to end the war quickly through them. Eventually, we convinced him to come back to us. But then ... the Noble Alliance's leader triggered a ritual that could've killed everyone in the capital. Our class managed to stop it, but ... he died shortly after the fight from a wound.
[He sucks in his breath. For the next part, there's no hiding the spike of anger from Elliot.]
Then ... before his body was even cold, the Chancellor showed up. He'd somehow survive getting shot through the heart and had laid low while everyone fought things out. With all his opponents now weakened from the war, he swept in and ended things on his terms. With more power than ever, he'd then go on to annex Crossbell and North Ambria.
Everything my friend had spent years fighting for ... was for nothing.
[Which...even though Elliot didn't agree with a lot of Crow's actions, it was still painful to watch his dreams be crumbled so easily. And even more painful to see that Crow hadn't been wrong his position of hating the Chancellor. ]
And...if he does show up here, we'll have to tell him that. [He swallows, his throat tightening at the thought.] He's too smart for us to hide it for long.
[ that sounds familiar. two sides fighting for the same damn coin constantly. a grudge that fueled a man to his death— eren knew nothing but hate as he grew. kill the titans. kill all of them. kill the traitors, all through his bared teeth and never ending sense of rage. it all had to go somewhere. until the monsters weren't monsters. until his world crumbled four, nearly five years ago. he was neither side. he was broken and torn, but he still would win at an ugly price. his brother would be like crow. fighting for something all their lives, before it being taken away from them. they'd only be served as tools, victims to their habitats, and their own minds.
eren could've been that person, too. he can sympathize with it. he can see the burn that drove him and the heat that killed him, yet he's never met this friend in his life. ]
Someone once told my father, [ he inhales, ] love someone. Hate only led to the same history. The same mistakes. [ again and again. ] Even for me.
[ he admits that. hate carried him before, and there was no way he could say there weren't times he's been pissed the fuck off by assholes who think they're something or other. but he doesn't hate, he couldn't bring himself to when they were all equal. the same. victim. even if it bled from his lips and made who had been his sister, break apart in front of him. ]
Sounds like wise words. Though the Chancellor does make it really easy to hate him, and I say that as someone who leans towards the Reformists. [Leans, being key. He certain believed in some of the ideology - equality for commoners, reducing the nobility's power, not oppressing commoners and razing their towns. But he couldn't say he agreed with how the Chancellor was leading the faction.
He says that lightly though. He doesn't know what to do about the Chancellor yet. Figuring those things out was part of his goal in becoming a traveling musician. And...he isn't surprised to hear Eren made mistakes like that. He had a lot of similarities to Crow.
Speaking of...]
I have no idea. [He breathes out, shaking his head] I spent the last two years getting used to him being gone, I never expected him to pop back up again.
Yeah...but if he does show up, we'll just have to think of something then.
[He doesn't want to do too much planning now, since there was a chance he won't show up and well... the disappointment would hurt a lot if he got his hopes up]
A third side. It didn't feel right to endorse either side to control the country, so we focused on protecting civilians and our own interests. They called us the "Crimson Wings", but that's mostly because our ship was red.
[ it’s exactly what eren thinks, going as far as to skip the mention of his brother in those same dreams— not to actively hide it, but because it felt irrelevant. nothing would change if he showed up, and if he didn’t he’d be wasting saliva and energy he needed.
it didn’t affect him much emotionally, anyway. there was a certain detachment on eren’s end when it came to zeke, and his opinions on him are pretty firm. ]
Wow, really? Your world must be more advanced than I thought...
[Sure. Something like that.]
Airships? Not really. They've been around for years. I mean, the Courageous's specs are nice enough that I'm sure an engineer would have stuff to say ... but all I really know is it goes really fast.
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no subject
[Nothing was on fire or dying or trying to drown him, that's pretty rad as far as Elliot's concerned.
Elliot will sneeze from all the dust flying around, squeezing his eyes shut and rubbing his nose]
I don't think he was from earlier...he seemed to know why I was reacting the way I was. [In other words, sobbing and clinging.] So are you saying it is possible?
no subject
it isn’t reversed. they’ll still go back through their mirrors if they have somewhere to return to, forget all about this. perhaps the dead stayed behind, though eren couldn’t risk that. ]
Well, [ which is recent, and still he’s deadset in home when he technically has no home to return to. technically. ] I’m here.
[ it wasn’t unheard of, eren can name a few dead acquaintances, but if elliot needed proof, he has one. right in front of him, that speaks the truth and doesn’t seem too phased about being dead, or implying such. ]
no subject
Elliot opens his eyes and slowly turns his head to look at Eren, dust or no dust.]
Whaaaaat?!
no subject
it might feel morbid, but he’s long ago decided on this. he isn’t sad, upset, everything is far from lost. it’s where he needs to be, where he stopped, and where he’ll pick back up once he, hopefully, warps into the paths dimension. ]
It is what it is.
no subject
Elliot meanwhile isn't quite upset at this moment, as he is deeply confused because-]
It is what it-
Don't give me that! Why are you so fixated on going home if you're already dead there?!
[THE HECK CAN A CORPSE DO.]
no subject
speaking of points, he’ll just get right to it. a rough generalization before he sits here all month trying to explain what an eldian is and why these even exist. ]
Back home, all of us are connected through invisible channels— they’re called paths. Memories, wills, powers, they all travel back and forth through them to people. It transcends space and time.
[ he circles that one crossing point that connects all lines. ]
They can only come together at a point called The Coordinate, with power of The Founder to change anything, [ a hand to his chest, then. ] that’s with me.
The only way I’d know if I ended up there is if I go back.
no subject
So...you died to try to get to this Coordinate place?
[That's...pretty extreme.]
What're you going to do if you get there?
no subject
[ not in the sense that he was ready to die and seeking it out— but he was ready to give his life and all if it meant success. anything less than that met wrath. ]
. . . Achieve freedom. [ mostly because that’s still sort of [redacted], but eren’s feelings make up for the small lack of context. it’s care. it’s hope. it’s love for live and for others and for himself. ] Everyone who’s born has the right to live free. If there’re things that take that away, [ eren’s tone is continuous, and matter of fact. ] they don’t matter.
[ they can’t matter. ]
no subject
So...you plan to change something that'll make everyone free.
[That seems like a noble enough goal, and one that sure fits Eren's mindset]
...What about you though? What about your freedom? It's a little hard to live free if you're dead.
no subject
If I got there in time— I’m beyond dead. [ he’s not dead here. he’s very much alive. although it’s a massive game of chance waiting to happen. he doesn’t control who the mirrors give and take, but to get there, to see that view.
he’ll transcend time, space, everything that keeps him locked and in constant cycling. he’ll be beyond life. he’ll be in some crazy ass interstellar mind raven dimension that can be anywhere, at any time. ]
I saw it before. I am free.
[ free from all that bullshit ]
no subject
He has. A lot of concerns. Through the bond, it's clear to see he's doubting.]
...How's that free?
[The more Elliot thinks about what it might mean, the less free it sounds]
Will you be able to eat the foods you want? Stay up and watch the sunrise? Pursue your interests? Spend time with your loved ones? Fall in love? Travel to new places? Share what's on your mind?
Will you get to do any of that? Because that's freedom.
no subject
it’s monstrous and unbreakable. ]
Tell me about your friend, [ he shifts his weight, ] instead of arguing something we can’t.
[ he’s asking nicely, with no intention of discussing what freedom is to him and what it’s like in paths. there’s no ire in his voice nor is there ill feeling. don’t take this the wrong way, eren thinks, or else that’s where it’ll go.
and, truly, he doesn’t want to go there. ]
no subject
Elliot feels the brush-off. Eren's not listening. Which is worrying all on its own. Like there wasn't any reaching him. There was just a wall. A super questionable wall.
But it's not like he can undo what Eren did in his world, so there's a point there. It'll just end in a fight.
Yet to talk about Crow right after hearing that...]
I'm...not sure how much you'll like hearing about him. It really doesn't end well.
no subject
You said he died at war. [ there’s no way it has a happy ending, he knows. with a flowing hand, he gestures for elliot to continue, beginning to rub dust along his outstretched legs. one more won’t break him. he knew plenty who died at war, sasha being the most recent. or, maybe falco. he didn’t know his brother well, but he harbored sympathy for him.
hell, he saw a kid who was better than he could ever be. he wanted him to live long and prosper. marry his girl. have a family. how far would he be able to go now? ]
no subject
...Yeah, he did. He... [He pauses, this isn't a story he's used to telling]
He actually started the war. I mean, it wasn't all him. The two major factions in Erebonia, the Noble Faction and the Reformists, have been at odds for years. But he had a grudge against a key member of the Reformists, Chancellor Osborne, after he had annexed his home country. So he became a terrorist and with the backing of the nobles, did a long and careful plan that led to him assassinating the Chancellor. It succeeded, and started the war.
He fought with the Noble Alliance, hoping to end the war quickly through them. Eventually, we convinced him to come back to us. But then ... the Noble Alliance's leader triggered a ritual that could've killed everyone in the capital. Our class managed to stop it, but ... he died shortly after the fight from a wound.
[He sucks in his breath. For the next part, there's no hiding the spike of anger from Elliot.]
Then ... before his body was even cold, the Chancellor showed up. He'd somehow survive getting shot through the heart and had laid low while everyone fought things out. With all his opponents now weakened from the war, he swept in and ended things on his terms. With more power than ever, he'd then go on to annex Crossbell and North Ambria.
Everything my friend had spent years fighting for ... was for nothing.
[Which...even though Elliot didn't agree with a lot of Crow's actions, it was still painful to watch his dreams be crumbled so easily. And even more painful to see that Crow hadn't been wrong his position of hating the Chancellor. ]
And...if he does show up here, we'll have to tell him that. [He swallows, his throat tightening at the thought.] He's too smart for us to hide it for long.
no subject
eren could've been that person, too. he can sympathize with it. he can see the burn that drove him and the heat that killed him, yet he's never met this friend in his life. ]
Someone once told my father, [ he inhales, ] love someone. Hate only led to the same history. The same mistakes. [ again and again. ] Even for me.
[ he admits that. hate carried him before, and there was no way he could say there weren't times he's been pissed the fuck off by assholes who think they're something or other. but he doesn't hate, he couldn't bring himself to when they were all equal. the same. victim. even if it bled from his lips and made who had been his sister, break apart in front of him. ]
How would you tell him?
no subject
He says that lightly though. He doesn't know what to do about the Chancellor yet. Figuring those things out was part of his goal in becoming a traveling musician. And...he isn't surprised to hear Eren made mistakes like that. He had a lot of similarities to Crow.
Speaking of...]
I have no idea. [He breathes out, shaking his head] I spent the last two years getting used to him being gone, I never expected him to pop back up again.
no subject
[ or else that just would be the . . . most kickass dream alive, like he had in that high school zombie apocalypse au. ]
. . . Which side were you fighting?
[ his own, or the other two? ]
no subject
[He doesn't want to do too much planning now, since there was a chance he won't show up and well... the disappointment would hurt a lot if he got his hopes up]
A third side. It didn't feel right to endorse either side to control the country, so we focused on protecting civilians and our own interests. They called us the "Crimson Wings", but that's mostly because our ship was red.
no subject
it didn’t affect him much emotionally, anyway. there was a certain detachment on eren’s end when it came to zeke, and his opinions on him are pretty firm. ]
And the wings?
no subject
Oh, it was an airship.
It's like a boat, but they fly.
no subject
A blimp. [ he says, drawing one in the dust as he does so. ] I’ve been on one.
[ it just wasn’t a good time. ]
no subject
Yeah, basically. But an airship's a lot faster than a blimp. It would probably make the trip from Aefenglom to Dorchacht in well under a day.
no subject
[ exploding airships. they’re different from blimps, plenty faster, for sure, though strictly military. ]
It’s not the most advanced thing, but it’s something. Was it for you?
no subject
[Sure. Something like that.]
Airships? Not really. They've been around for years. I mean, the Courageous's specs are nice enough that I'm sure an engineer would have stuff to say ... but all I really know is it goes really fast.